Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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211. To ask the Minister for Health the degree to which adequate numbers of nurses are likely to become available throughout the public health sector over the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41184/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Nursing and midwifery recruitment and retention is a priority for the Government and my Department is in regular contact with the HSE on matters concerning the recruitment of nurses and midwives. The HSE is currently focused on offering graduating nurses and midwives permanent posts and replacing agency staff with permanent staff. Recruitment of additional nurses is also the subject of considerable ongoing activity by the HSE and voluntary hospitals with campaigns in train in Ireland and abroad. As part of the 2017 Nursing and Midwifery Recruitment and Retention Agreement, reached with the INMO and SIPTU earlier this year, it committed to put in place an additional 1,224 nursing and midwifery posts across the public health service by the end of December 2017. Very extensive and detailed work has been sustained throughout 2017 to implement the Agreement.

As part of the Agreement there was a commitment to increase the number of nursing and midwifery undergraduate places. Since 2010, the four year undergraduate nursing programme had an annual intake of 1,570 nurses which includes 140 midwifery students. In 2016, an additional 60 places were made available for Psychiatric nursing. In 2016, 1,428 Irish trained nurses and midwives undertook the internship programme. This programme is a requirement for first time registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). In 2017, there are 1,421 nurses currently undertaking the internship programme. As already mentioned, the nursing agreement also allows for permanent contracts to be offered to all student nurse graduates. A nursing and midwifery workforce plan for 2018 and 2019 to meet service need with relevant engagement to be undertaken with stakeholder is also provided for in this agreement. These measures should help provide a good supply of nurses to the public health sector in the years to come.